'Friday Night Lights,' 'Parenthood,' 'Private Practice' to be honored as 'Television with a Conscience.' Which shows changed you?

The Television Academy will honor eight programs this May for exemplifying “Television with a Conscience.” The fourth annual Television Academy Honors will single out Friday Night Lights‘ “I Can’t” episode for its handling of unwanted pregnancy; Parenthood‘s pilot for showing the impact of an Asperger’s diagnosis; Private Practice’s “Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?” episode for its depiction of sexual assault, its aftermath and the long-term mental health effects that follow; The Big C’s “Taking the Plunge” episode for exploring the transition from denial to acceptance of living with life-threatening cancer; Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution for its movement to reduce childhood obesity; the Morgan Freeman-narrated documentary The 16th Man for educating viewers on how Nelson Mandela used the sport of rugby and the 1995 Rugby World Cup title to help heal South Africa; the documentaryWartorn 1861-2010, executive produced by James Gandolfini, for its chronicling of the lingering effects of combat and post-traumatic stress on military personnel and their families throughout American history; and The Oprah Winfrey Show‘s self-explanatory “Two-Day Oprah Show Event: 200 Adult Men Who Were Molested Come Forward.”

Thinking back, what would you have wanted to receive this honor had it existed before 2008? The first thing that came to my mind was “The Runaway” episode of The Fact of Life, which I’ve embedded after the jump for anyone who wants to see Tootie nearly be tricked into becoming a teen prostitute.